Success stories

Evolving to keep abreast of the times

BCF, Italy, is specialised in processing copper tubes with traditional and all-electric bending machines and has recently introduced the fibre laser technology

BCF, a Friulian job processing company is specialised in
processing copper tubes for the
production of coils, headers, assembled units and, more generally,
components for the conditioning, refrigerating, heating, heat
exchanger and air treatment industries.

Sergio Burato and Emilio Sangoi, owners, founded the company
back in 1995 with another partner. "We started business here in
Rivignano in rented property - explains Burato - then in 1997, we
built the first of our own buildings, in 2001 the second and in
2005 we added a third, which is now being fitted out and will be
used to process aluminium".

Relations with BLM started immediately already back in 1995 with
the purchase of the first tube bending machines for small
diameter tubes used for domestic conditioning. Core
bending was not required and the BLM PLAUNO and PLANET systems
guaranteed a suitable quality for the application.
Since then, the relationship with BLM has become very sound to the
point that the BCF workshop could easily be used as a showroom
given the number of BLM machines installed.

Innovating and differentiating

Since 2000 there are only 2 partners, Burato, who is responsible
for production and sales and Emilio Sangoi who is responsible for
the administration. The company has a head count of 110 employees
and Mr. Burato talks with satisfaction about the pleasant internal
relationship between the employees and management. "I'm always in
the company" he explains "and if anyone needs to speak to me for
any reason, they can always stop me even in the corridor" and
continues "even if this type of relationship is increasingly more
challenging as the company grows".

When speaking about BCF he describes it as a service company,
then goes on to explain, "a service company that aims at
quality, which is understood as satisfying the customer's
expectations, of course, within the limits of the resources that we
have. We operate throughout Europe and even, to a small extent,
outside Europe. To find outlets abroad has been one of the
goals of the sales network since the beginning. It is
important to differentiate both in terms of customers and
territories. Moreover, it is important to invest in
innovation and technology; the margins on these products are
limited, therefore we try to focus our efforts on
theproducts we
have.

With BLM we have found a partner who pays attention to
innovation and who invests in research, keeping abreast of
technology. The technological evolution is
more than clear and is very important for a company who wants to
stay on the market.

Over the years, the company has experienced various moments of
rapid and dramatic changes. As already mentioned, initially
the company followed the domestic conditioning market, but that
type of production literally disappeared overnight in Europe and
moved towards the emerging countries such as China most of all.

The company therefore reacted by investing and purchasing
different machines to penetrate other spin-off sectors such as
industrial conditioning, aiming at larger diameter
tubes with high-tech reliable products. "It was necessary
to adapt to the new market requirements, explains Burato - for
larger diameter tubes and bigger machines that bend with
core. BLM was ready with systems like E-TURN and RH/LH
all-electric tube bending machines with automatic loading
system".

"The step taken from the hydraulic machine to the all-electric
system was important both from the performance viewpoint, that is
higher accuracy and reliability in the bend and
from a practical elimination of the hydraulic oil
with all the problems that came along with it".

Flexibility at all levels

2009 was a difficult year worldwide, but BCF came through
without exploiting payoff supplement funds, which meant that the
employees were kept on and ready to resume production immediately
as of January this year. Now BCF is looking at recruiting new
staff even if the market has once again radically changed. "We are
now talking about reducing the batch volumes that are required even
quicker" says Burato. "The solution is to continue investing in
technologically avant-garde machinery that is able to
provide automation and mostly
flexibility in meeting the customers delivery
requirements".

The new fibre laser system has recently been introduced in this
renewal towards a greater flexibility. The Lasertube LT Fiber with
2 kW fibre laser source has made it possible to apply the
laser technology in copper tubeprocessing with a considerable
advantage as regards decisively shorterprocessing times.

"Before - says Burato - with traditional machinery holes were
made that then needed to be burred; now programs are created in the
technical office and they are sent directly to the LT Fibre.

The automation is also important; to avoid possible operator
errors, the LT Fibre system is equipped with a camera that checks
that the material section actually corresponds to what is indicated
in the work program, thereby preventing damage and waste.